Humane Society seeks donations, grant

MONTOUR FALLS—The Humane Society of Schuyler County held an open house Saturday, April 5 to showcase the progress at their 124 Marina Dr. location in Montour Falls. The construction work at the site is part of a $600,000 shelter consolidation project to locate all their services at one location. Currently, the humane society services are spread out among several locations, one for cats, one for dogs and one spay and neuter clinic.
Humane Society President Georgie Taylor said construction at the site began in February, with the expected completion being in early June. She said once the contractors are done, there will still be four to six weeks worth of work for their nearly 50 volunteers to complete as well. Taylor said there will be additional open houses the first Saturday of May and June, with a planned grand opening to take place in July.
Humane society board member Gita Devi said the consolidation project will allow the volunteers to do all their work at one site. She said improvements include an on-site surgery suite for spaying and neutering, a recovery area for the animals, storage space as well as gated areas for the animals to run free. Devi said they also included extra garage doors that can be opened to allow fresh air to flow through the facility while the animals are out.
Devi said once completed the facility should hold some 24 dogs, along with some space for cats. She said the cats would mostly be held in the Kitty Caboose also located on the property, which holds nearly 40 cats. Taylor said the Kitty Caboose cost $35,000 to complete and was not part of the $600,000 cost of consolidation.
Taylor said most of their funding comes from donations and grants. She said they have raised around $175,000 and are hoping to also include the sale of their current dog facility to help pay for the consolidation work. Taylor said the shelter is also currently part of a two-to-one $250,000 grant challenge, where every dollar donated up to that amount through Tuesday, April 15 will be matched by an anonymous donor through the Community Foundation of Elmira, Corning and the Finger Lakes.